The Extreme VDX series of switches (formerly Brocade VDX) was acquired by Extreme Networks in 2017 during the Broadcom acquisition of Brocade and the selling off of some of the company's assets. The products, including the latest ExtremeSwitching VDX 6740, are now discontinued.
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Cisco Optical Networking
Score 8.8 out of 10
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Cisco Optical Networking is a suite of products supporting data center networking, including the NCS 1000, 2000, 4000, 4200, and the Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager (Cisco EPN Manager), as well as Cisco ONS 15000 series platforms and devices.
The VDX is very well suited for any virtual environment; it is reliable along and easy to configure and maintain. It is great for inter-switch links on inter-cluster communication. I love our cluster configuration; allows for seamless, no downtime upgrades. It is actually fascinating to witness the upgrade; it takes about 10 minutes per chassis. This switch would not be well suited for intermediate distribution frame switching, it would be a waste of technology in an IDF!
Based on my experience, I think it's a goldmine for the experienced professional and a hectic job for newbies. I recommend newbies to have some experience and then jump to Cisco Optical Networking so that they can easily understand what they paid for and take the best out of it. It's best for network scalability so I highly recommend it to those who intend to scale their network in the near future however, if you know that your network will remain the same and you don't require it, there are cheaper options within Cisco.
I had issues with the USB drive once and had a devil of a time resolving. We could use a little more documentation and a better manner in which to recover the drive. I do understand the issues every vendor faces regarding proprietary software. If you are a customer, it should never be an issue.
The VDX has been a champ in my environment, if I had issues I could probably come up with additional comments.
I am glad that Extreme VDX has continued the VDX product line because it really is a phenomenal piece of hardware that was very well made.
A simplified management platform that provides services without having to invest In multiple products, each with an additional cost. The product should just come with the services and features.
Simplifying the BOM selection process. There are to many hidden part numbers you need to know.
We will renew our use of Cisco Optical Networking due to its reliability in maintaining high-performance, low-latency connections, its scalability in supporting growing bandwidth demands, and its integration with existing Cisco infrastructure, which simplifies management and reduces operational complexity. Additionally, its robust security features and automation capabilities have enhanced network resilience, making it a valuable long-term solution for our expanding needs.
It just works depending on what your requirement is. Cisco also provides a well formed cheat sheet on which gear to use for which scenario. Very convenient. It makes my job as a Sales Engineer easier when I have a short timeline to get a solution designed. It is also build well enough to be used in austere environments.
I would rate the overall support for Cisco Optical Networking at 9/10. The support team is highly responsive, knowledgeable, and effective in resolving issues quickly. Cisco’s comprehensive online resources, documentation, and community forums also make it easy to find solutions. However, there is always room for improvement in terms of response time during peak periods.
I have not had an opportunity to use a similar featured platform in my networking journey. All I have learned is that Extreme VDX has great potential for controlling and managing networking operations in our company. The data analytics insights that we receive from data analysis have developed great planning and decision-making infrastructure. The speed of operation is always stable with high data transfer rate.
We selected Cisco Optical Networking after evaluating alternatives such as Ciena, Nokia, and Infinera. Cisco stood out for its seamless integration with our existing network infrastructure, which already relied heavily on Cisco solutions. This made deployment and management significantly easier. The Cisco NCS 2000 series offered flexible ROADM capabilities, allowing us to scale bandwidth dynamically without extensive infrastructure changes. Additionally, Cisco’s Evolved Programmable Network Manager (EPNM) provided intuitive management and automation, streamlining provisioning and monitoring tasks. While Ciena’s WaveLogic Ai impressed us with its adaptive modulation and Nokia’s 1830 PSS offered strong scalability, both required more complex configurations that didn’t align as well with our existing setup. Infinera’s GX Series excelled in long-haul capacity, but Cisco’s modular design better suited our evolving bandwidth needs. Ultimately, Cisco Optical Networking provided the best combination of scalability, integration ease, and operational efficiency, making it the ideal choice for our organization.
The best impact it had was to lower my network maintenance cost by the time span of more than a year
It might look a bit pricey at the beginning, but along with time, you'll feel that you're actually saving a lot of your time and money in terms of network management
